Why This Recipe Works

We make a flavorful marinade of jalapeño, lime, garlic, and spices to flavor the shrimp before they go on the grill, setting some of the mixture aside to finish the dish. To get a good char on the shrimp without overcooking them, we pack them tightly onto skewers and sprinkle one side with sugar. Then we start them over a hot fire, sliding them over low heat to finish cooking through gently. We toss the cooked shrimp with the reserved marinade and sprinkle them with fresh cilantro for a final hit of flavor.

Before You Begin

You will need four 14-inch metal skewers for this recipe. We prefer flat skewers.

Instructions

for the marinade

Process all ingredients in food processor until finely ground, about 20 seconds. Reserve 2 tablespoons marinade for finishing cooked shrimp. Transfer remaining marinade to medium bowl.

for the shrimp

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels, add to bowl with remaining marinade, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Thread marinated shrimp tightly onto 4 skewers (8 to 9 shrimp per skewer), alternating direction of each shrimp. Sprinkle 1 side of shrimp skewers with sugar.

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to low.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill shrimp sugared side down over hotter part of grill, uncovered, until lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip skewers and move to cooler part of grill. Cover and continue to cook until shrimp are uniformly pink, 1 to 2 minutes.

Holding skewers with potholder, use tongs to slide shrimp off skewers into medium bowl. Add reserved marinade and toss to coat. Transfer shrimp to platter and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve.